President of new Janesville hospital named
Podcast Episode
WCLO's Steve Benton reports SSM Health Care of Wisconsin names the President of their new Janesville hospital.
Kerry Swanson
JANESVILLE — SSM Health Care of Wisconsin has hired a president for its St. Mary's Janesville Hospital, but it will be nearly two years until Kerry Swanson gets down to the day-to-day duties of running the $80 million facility.
In the interim, Swanson will play a lead role in the construction of the 100-bed hospital, which is part of a $140 million project that also includes a new Dean Health System clinic on Janesville's southeast side.
"It's an exciting time," said Swanson, who is currently chief operating officer of Alliance Community Hospital in Alliance, Ohio.
That excitement includes surveying the local real estate landscape, which Swanson was doing Wednesday during a visit to Janesville.
"This is a beautiful city that's well planned out," said Swanson, who will move to Janesville with her husband, John, and a 16-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter. A 21-year-old son is wrapping up a political science degree in Ohio and will likely move on to graduate school.
"The city is well planned, and we're outdoors people, so we love the greenbelts, parks and bike trails," she said. "Everyone we've met here has been so nice."
St. Mary's Janesville Hospital won't be the first Swanson has opened. In Alliance, she was integral in the planning and opening of a new facility. She also has extensive experience in physician relations, quality improvement, patient and employee satisfaction and operations, SSM officials said.
"We wanted to find someone with the experience in helping plan and open a new hospital as well as someone who would be a great fit with the Janesville community," said Mary Starmann-Harrison, regional president and CEO of SSM Health Care of Wisconsin. "After an extensive nationwide candidate search, we've found that person in Kerry Swanson."
Swanson began her career as a staff nurse and has since served in leadership positions at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio, and as chief nursing officer/chief operating officer at Alliance Community Hospital.
She earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Malone College in Canton, Ohio, and this fall will complete a master's degree in health administration from Warren National University in Cheyenne, Wyo.
"I spent 12 years in nursing, so I've had the full view of what patient care is all about," Swanson said. "This is a great opportunity for me and my family, and it helps coming in to know that the community is very supportive of this project."
SSM and Dean officials broke ground Monday for the facility, which is scheduled to open in late 2010.
Dec 18, 2008 at 7:06 p.m.
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I've never used an ER for standard medical issues. ALL of the trips to an ER have been for broken bones, asthma attacks, severe burns or a stroke. I just think the care at Mercy's ER is less than satisfactory. Our kids are in their 20's now, all 4 of them. The oldest has 3 kiddies. I would still go to Edgerton....
Hopefully, the new Dean/St. Mary's facility will take some lessons from Edgerton Hospital.
Will I even bother to check them out? Probably not, until "word of mouth" convinces me, that they actually take care of the ER patients....
Dec 8, 2008 at 1:29 p.m.
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Everyone seems to have an opinion about the services Mercy ER and Edgerton ER have provided to them, both good and bad. Mercy ER and other Mercy staff saved my husbands life when he was admitted for a heart attack. I am here to tell you that there was no time wasted in the triage area, and yes, we bi-passed many others waiting in the ER. Some people use the ER for their personal Dr. visits when they should be using Urgent Care. As far as Kerry Swanson not being able to practice her nursing in WI - I'm sure she will get her license for WI in due time. Correct me if I am wrong but it doesn't state that Dean is hiring her as a nurse so it should not be an issue.
Dec 3, 2008 at 1:43 p.m.
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gmaof3 - How do the actions of the desk staff affect your care at the ER? Did you expect a registration clerk to come out and administer medical care to your grandchild? So there was one other person in the lobby, but what patients were being treated in the exam rooms by the ONLY physician on duty? A heart attack, stroke, rape, auto accident, drowning, ingestion of poison, pneumonia...? You have no idea. The nurse who checked you in decided the priority based on the other patients needs as well as yours. And evidently your grandchild didn't have a life threatening condition, if only all people who visited the ER could be so lucky.
Dec 2, 2008 at 10:04 a.m.
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Oh, and it also appears that this so-called University has been shut down...
From the Chronicle of Higher Education:
August 25, 2008
A Mysterious Silence Emanates From Warren National U.
Warren National University appears to be in trouble.
A note on its Web site says the institution has “suspended, until further notice, the admission or reactivation of students into our degree programs.” What this means for current students is unclear.
Warren National, which is unaccredited, has an interesting history. Previously known as Kennedy-Western University, it has moved from Idaho to California to its current home, Wyoming. It received some unwelcome publicity in 2004, when it and several other unaccredited institutions were the subjects of an investigation by the General Accounting Office. It later changed its name to Warren National.
Dec 2, 2008 at 10:02 a.m.
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"Bill Gates didn't possess a college degree until 2007, and that was an Honorary Degree"
True, but he didn't claim a degree to get to the top of someone else's company.
"Warren National University is indeed a non-traditional learning, but make no mistake the education is real."
The bogus university website is the last place to look for verification. You are confusing the online delivery method with legitimacy. There are many legitimate non-traditional online learning programs, such as the UW System, Bryan/Stratton. But the more I Google Warren National, I come up with the following articles on it:
***"Bogus Degrees and Unmet Expectations: Are Taxpayer Dollars Subsidizing Diploma Mills?"
***"It May Take Hours, But You Too Can Earn a University Degree"
***"When Elected Officials Aren't What They Seem
Texas officials and Pennsylvania cats tout misleading credentials"
Dec 1, 2008 at 1:41 p.m.
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Bill Gates didn't possess a college degree until 2007, and that was an Honorary Degree. Does that mean that he wasn't qualified to run his company? I think not. Education is extremely important, but what one does with what they have learned is even greater!
The Janesville community should be proud to have Kerry Swanson as a member of their community. Make no mistake; she is qualified to be the CEO of the St. Mary's Janesville Hospital. It would be great if we could all achieve our degrees in a traditional setting, but that just isn't reality. The fact is even working 60 hr weeks running the operations at a hospital, Kerry served on the chamber, did charitable work in the community, served on local college boards to promote educational access to current and potential healthcare workers. With all of that going on Kerry managed to be a wife and mother and take classes online. Once she has relocated into your community and you see the quality of person you are getting, then this blog will be long forgotten.
One guarantee, YOU WILL have an Outstanding and Effective leader in your community.
NOTE: A Statement on the Warren National University webpage reads: Warren National University is committed to achieving the same accreditation status as the majority of other universities in the United States. 2. If accreditation is achieved, WNU students will earn degrees from an institution that has with well-established universities. 3. WNU is committed to quality in all aspects of the institution; therefore, it welcomes the opportunity for the entire institution to be evaluated.
More information about regional accreditation and the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) may be found on the Web site (http://www.ncahlc.org ).
Warren National University is indeed a non-traditional learning, but make no mistake the education is real. Maybe a Master's Degree from the University of Minnesota isn't as good as one from Stanford, but it is real.
Dec 1, 2008 at 12:02 p.m.
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gmaof3??? Are you from Milton or from Dean Care? The standards of Edgerton Hospital. Gee, don't let me get cought in that ER. Aren't they still staffing thier ER with rent-a-doctors? there are times you can't even find a doc in that building. As far as fake diploma's it doesn't suprize me that Dean hired someone like that to run their hospital. As far as nursing, Ms. Swanson is not licensed to practice nursing in Wisconsin, at least Dean could have had her transfer her license. It looks like there are a lot of holes in their hiring process, but when they are you can get employees cheaper. Maybe this is just another way for Dean to cut coroners.
Dec 1, 2008 at 9:52 a.m.
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My point is...
I was curious about the college her masters degree is from, since I never heard of it.
If you Google for 10 seconds, her so-called "degree" from Kennedy-Western / Warren National is dubious, fake, or illegal depending on which article or Senate Investigation you read.
It seems that this company failed to do a basic background check that would have caught something so obvioius.
I don't know what Wisconsin law is on it, but at a minimum, there seems to be an ethical problem here.
Nov 30, 2008 at 5:09 p.m.
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You must be a Mercy employee.... No where in these links you provide, is there any mention of Kerry Swanson. I'm not quite sure what your point is... she evidently seems competent at what she does. She has experience.
I look forward to the new facilities in our area. Mercy has had a "corner on the market" for too long. A little competition will bode well for the needs of our community.
Besides, have you ever had to actually BE a patient in the ER? I'll be danged if I ever take a child or grandchild there again. I actually spent 45 minutes with a child having a horrible asthma attack. There was one old couple waiting to see a doctor for his gout. No one else was in the waiting room. I listened to the desk clerks talking about how nice it was to have a quiet night. In the meantime, this child's lips were blue from lack of oxygen!
I made a huge scene, finally getting a doctor to see her. How ridiculous is this? I found no humor in listening to the check in staff talking about their last weekends' conquests at the local bars. I felt like I was in the twilight zone!!!
I now go to Edgerton for my emergency medical care. I've NEVER waited more than 10 minutes to be in an exam room. The staff is caring and sensitive. I can't say enough about this facility! I live in Milton so its no farther than Mercy.
I only hope that the new Dean Care facility can find a way to live up to the standards of the Edgerton hospital. Mercy certainly doesn't!!!
Nov 21, 2008 at 9:53 a.m.
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I am pretty shocked to see that this person is a “graduate” Warren National University a/k/a Kennedy Western University.
This university was investigated by the Senate in 2004. See: Senate Hearing 108-353 "Bogus Degrees and Unmet Expectations, Are Taxpayer Dollars Subsidizing Diploma Mills?" An undercover agent reported that ''With just 16 hours of study, I had completed 40 percent of the course requirements for a master's degree" said Claudia Gelzer, a committee staff member.
10/24/08 – New Jersey Department of Higher Ed sent cease and desist orders to 2 degree holders from Kennedy Western / Warren National and were ordered to drop their doctoral titles.
http://www.app.com/article/20081024/NEWS...
The State of Texas calls Warren National "University" a:
Fraudulent or Substandard Institution with No Known Texas Connection
Fraudulent or substandard degree" means a degree conferred in Texas in violation of the Texas Education Code
http://www.thecb.state.tx.us
Needless to say, I will seek my healthcare elsewhere.
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